Expectations are incredibly high for the San Diego Padres, who reached the National League Championship Series a season ago. They finished 89-73 in the MLB standings but were able to get hot late.
They are popular among MLB picks to again advance to the playoffs and should contend for one of the best MLB teams in the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League West.
The Padres will have to play without star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. for the start of their MLB games due to a suspension and not the MLB injury report. But the Padres still are plenty equipped to handle his absence at the start of the season.
One of the big developments of that 2022 season was the Padres acquiring star outfielder Juan Soto. After starting his career with the Washington Nationals and winning a World Series with them, Soto hit .236 with a .778 OPS in 52 games with the Padres, MLB player stats showed.
The two stars have yet to play together, though they will share the outfield as long as both stay healthy by the time Tatis’ suspension is over. The two are excited to do so, too.
While the MLB schedule is underway, that does not stop people from checking the San Diego Padres season odds. Here is a rundown of some of the changes, the MLB odds, and more.
Season To Remember
The Padres decided it was time to go for it, and it paid off to bring life to a fan base that had many lean years. They ended up 13th offensively in scoring 4.35 runs per game, San Diego Padres team stats showed, and 10th with a pitching staff that allowed 4.07 runs per game.
Manny Machado had arguably the best season of his career and finished second in Most Valuable Player voting. He hit .298 with a .898 OPS to go with 37 doubles, 32 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 100 runs scored, San Diego Padres player stats showed. It was quite the season without the protection of a player like Tatis.
That team really shuffled players around its core, including trading away Eric Hosmer and also platooning at catcher with Jorge Alfaro. They had Wil Myers battling for at-bats and added the speedy CJ Abrams for 46 games, plus they acquired Josh Bell when they landed Soto.
It was memorable, and the Padres quickly became the underdog story fans were rooting for. Even with a rally goose, their luck ran out against the Phillies, who lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series.
Roster Tweaks
The biggest offseason addition for the Padres was signing longtime Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Adding Bogaerts at shortstop ramps up the defense and allows Tatis, once his suspension is up, to move to the outfield with Trent Grisham and Soto.
They also added another lefty bat in Matt Carpenter, who can play first base but is largely a designated hitter. Depth pieces in veteran slugger Nelson Cruz, outfielder David Dahl and utility infielder Rougned Odor will all fight for at-bats.
The rotation has looked different as well, with Yu Darvish yet to pitch through four games and Joe Musgrove starting the season on the injured list. It is a good thing San Diego added depth with Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo, who figures to be a bullpen fixture when the starters return.
Also, landing Brent Honeywell Jr. to the bullpen is a big pickup for the San Diego Padres season odds.
Season Odds
It used to be that the Los Angeles Dodgers dominated the National League West, but the divisional race is as tight as it has been in a decade. The Dodgers are favored at -120, while the Padres are +110, and the three other teams are longshots.
The San Diego Padres season odds are so close because of winning last year’s playoff series over the Dodgers.
- The two teams are tied for best odds at +400 to win the pennant alongside a pair of NL East rivals.
- They are tied for third at World Series odds at +850 with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.
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